The new detective Netflix series Belascoarán PI encapsulates the adventure of Mexican private eye Hector Belascoaran pursuing a full-time career in Investigation. The series is divided into three episodes with an average running time of one hour and ten minutes each. Moreover, Gonzalo Amat, Ernesto Contreras, and Hiromi Kamata serve as the director for different episodes.
The series is led by Luis Gerardo Méndez, who plays the titular role of Hector Belascoaran Shayne, along with Paulina Gaitan as Irene, Silverio Palacios as Gomez Letras, Silverio Palacios as Virginia, Irene Azuela as Alisa, Francisco Calvillo as Leobardo El Romano and Mildred Motta as Laura Camposanto. Furthermore, the detective show is primarily in the Mexican language.
-Belascoarán PI Review Contains No Spoilers-
Set against the backdrop of 1970s Mexico, the series starts off with the introduction of Hector Belascoaran, a former corporate employee with a conventional routine, who changed his career path and decided to become a Private Investigator (although preferring the term Independent Detective). The inception of this unconventional approach is told as a back-and-forth between his Mexican reality show appearance, as part of the detective’s attempt to solve the first high-profile case.
The newly formed rusty detective is yet to find his groove in the pilot and is not alone in the process. He has the constant support of his union rights activist Sister, his office partner cum secretary plumber, and the infamous girl with the ponytail. This trio forms a mixed version of Dr Watson-like character, who is always there to save our detective from close encounters.
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There are several common elements of a detective story that you can spot in the series. We have a bunch of corrupt cops and their leader, a romantic interest with a past, and a city strangler on the loose(who only talks in metaphors and riddles), encircled around our Keli Cola-obsessed detective. Furthermore, these elements often transfuse with a different antagonist in each episode.
It’s important to note the cultural context of the series, starting with the different mentions of the fascist movement and the fight against it. The series is also successful in pointing out the capitalist oppression and their attempt of dismantling the unions in the early 70s through a parallel commentary.
The narrative structure takes the help of highly articulate monologues from Belascoaran, which are often revealing and have a sarcastic end. Plus, there are occasional visual texts appearing in the background, as part of showcasing the detective’s thought process. All in all, it is a slick fusion of traditional contours with aesthetics.
Belascoaran PI is living proof that the detective genre isn’t dead. The greasy, orthodox and crunchy layer of investigative narration will always have the capacity to lure the audience. And if done convincingly, it can induce an environment of neo-noir supremacy.
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Finally, there is also a tone of morality that separates our detective from the conventional elements. The real reason that Hector Belascoaran quit his well-paying corporate job wasn’t the thrill of investigation, nor the break from the mundane routine. It was simply his passion to do the right thing. A vital cause that stops our detective from giving up.
Belascoaran PI Final Thoughts
If you are in the mood for a well-written and presented detective series(with all the parts in the right place), then Belascoaran PI should be your go-to watch. The three-episode binge will keep you intrigued throughout and leave you aching for more.
You can watch the series on Netflix. Tell us your thoughts about this slick detective series in the comment section below.